EU parliament stops recognizing jailed Catalan separatist as lawmaker

Jailed Catalan leader Oriol Junqueras' mandate as a European Union (EU) lawmaker is over, the legislature's head said on Friday, in a blow to the Spanish separatist movement.European Parliament president David Sassoli said decisions this month by Spain's electoral board and Supreme Court blocking Junqueras from occupying his seat meant he had effectively no longer been a legislator for the bloc from Jan. 3.